Biden urges Chinese youth to challenge authority

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Biden urges Chinese youth to challenge authority
By JOSH LEDERMAN, Associated Press | December 4, 2013 | Updated: December 4, 2013 1:20am

BEIJING (AP) — U.S. Vice President Joe Biden opened a two-day visit to China Wednesday by urging young Chinese students to challenge their government, teachers and religious leaders.

Arriving midday in Beijing, Biden paid a visit to the U.S. embassy, where he surprised Chinese citizens waiting to get visitor visas processed in the embassy's consular section. Thanking a group of mostly young people for wanting to visit the U.S., Biden said he hoped they would learn during their visit that "innovation can only occur where you can breathe free."

"Children in America are rewarded — not punished — for challenging the status quo," Biden said. "The only way you make something totally new is to break the mold of what was old."

The vice president seemed to be alluding to the authoritarian rule of China's government as he described a liberal and permissive intellectual culture in the United States.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/politics/article/Biden-urges-Chinese-youth-to-challenge-authority-5033225.php

[villager]

1. Perhaps he should urge American youth to do the same. n/t

[Warpy]

2. Right, but the peaceful OWS protestors had to be crushed.

Funny how things change when it's your own government being called out by the young.

ETA: and this is no slam to Biden. It is a general observation.

[Fumesucker]

3. Someone should inform Occupy that Biden was really on their side all along n/t

[Left Coast2020]

4. I'll bet those visitors thought they saw Jackie Chan or something.

Imagine that.

But nonetheless, had to be an encouraging moment for them.

And I expect at some point, there will be another uprising equal or greater than Tienanmen square. I sense the people are hungry for it. They are eager for it. But the questiion is, are they willing to die for it as those who did in 1989. A prolonged and sustained uprising equal to the green movement in Iran would be needed. Not just in Beijing, but nation wide.

It the only way the PRC will belong to the "people".

[AverageJoe90]

13. Exactly. No *fucking* question about that. nt

[left on green only]

5. If I was Joe

I'd have the food I ate while I was there tested very thoroughly before ingesting.

[PoliticAverse]

6. Pepper spraying is a 'reward'??... n/t

[Judi Lynn]

7. Rubber bullets? Wooden dowels? Who knew? n/t

[Fumesucker]

10. ...

?

[blkmusclmachine]

8. Dear Biden, Thx for Clarence Thomas. Love, America

[Laelth]

9. Bad form.

I think it's really bad form for our leaders to travel to foreign countries and then try to incite a revolution there. That's about as arrogant as one can be. I am quite disappointed.

I am aware that the Vice President couched his remarks, but I suspect that the Chinese government got the message.

-Laelth

[MindPilot]

11. Agreed. It is that American Exceptionalism thing.

"We are so much cooler than you and you really need to be more like us", is an embarrassing attempt at diplomacy.

[bemildred]

12. Try saying that here at home, Joe. nt